Keeping your brain healthy actually can be a fine art

A four-year study showed that people who did artwork in their middle to old age were 73 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impariment.

A four-year study showed that people who did artwork in their middle to old age were 73 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impariment. (Camille Tokerud Photography Inc., Getty Images)

Leslie MannTribune Newspapers

Paint away those worries of old-age mental decline

Since she moved to Florida, said Mary O'Neill, 91, "painting keeps me happy and fills the empty frames" in her Port St. Lucie home. It also keeps mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at bay, said a study from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Unlike memory loss that typically comes with age, MCI can lead to dementia.

After four years, 121 of the 256 study participants developed MCI. But people who did artwork in their middle and old ages were 73 percent less likely to develop MCI than those who did not. Socializing made them 55 percent less likely. Using computers, 53 percent. Crafting, 45 percent.

"The 'use it or lose it' adage is true," said Dr. Rosebud Roberts, co-author of "Risk and Protective Factors for Cognitive Impairment in Persons Aged 85 Years and Older."

It's all about neurons, explained Roberts, professor of neuro-epidemiology and neurology at Mayo. Engaging the mind with the above activities protects our neurons and stimulates the growth of new ones. Consider them the brain's building blocks, Roberts said.

The study participants were Minnesotans, mostly Caucasian, with an average age of 87. The authors gave them cognitive tests every 15 months and quizzed them about their participation in arts, including drawing, painting, sculpting, woodworking and quilting; social activities such as going to movies, book clubs and traveling; and using computers for games, purchases and searches.

"We've learned to control more diseases, so we're living longer," Roberts said. "U.S. Census projections show ages 85 and older a fast-growing segment of the population. But many older people lose their purpose in life, so they're more likely to withdraw and become depressed."

O'Neill started sculpting in her 30s, then switched to painting. Although she downplays her artwork ("my sister was the true artist in the family"), she admits she's sold more portraits than she can remember, and her paintings "can pass as professional," she said. "I'm very lucky to have the gift and the interest. Yesterday, when I went to brunch, I couldn't wait to get back to my painting."

She used to play bridge and golf too, which suited her competitive streak. "With painting, I compete with myself," said the retired homemaker. "I challenge myself to make each one better than the last."

At age 77, Donald Hall is ahead of the game. After the Binghamton, N.Y., pharmacist retired in his 60s, he started building a miniature world for his HO-scale model trains. It requires a combination of activities recommended by the Mayo study. Learning art skills, socializing and using a computer — check, check and check, he said.

"I joined a train club to learn how to do the wiring and make each part of the scenery," Hall said. "I follow tutorials from an online supplier that tells you how to use its materials. With my grandson, I built a roundhouse and a railroad station."

Currently under construction in Hall's workshop are roads, waterfalls, rivers, landscaping and a village. "It's 9-by-13 feet — so far!" he said.

In addition to model-building, Hall walks, works out and reads Clive Cussler thrillers.

"Don't be a couch potato," is Hall's advice to other seniors. "Get out. Be active, physically and mentally. It keeps you thinking. And, it's more fun."

Although vision loss in one eye limits her physically, O'Neill said, it hasn't slowed the pace of her artwork. "I'm working on three paintings now — acrylics, in black and white," she said. "So if I go next week, there will still be works in progress and empty frames to fill."

The study was published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.